Apparatus for manufacturing fibers



Feb. 26, 1963 M. CHARPENTIER ETAL 3,078,691 APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING FIBERS Filed Dec. 10, 1958 INVENTORS MAURICE CHARPENTIER a,

MARCEL MABRU BY We? ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,078,691 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 APPARATUS FQR MANUFACTURWG FEBERS Maurice. (Iharpentier, Rantigny, and Marcel Mabru,

Paris, France, assignors to Compagnie de Saint-Subaru,

a corporation of France Filed Dec 10, 1958, Ser. No. 779,396 Claims priority, application France Dec. 12, 1957 6 Claims. (Ci. 65-12) The present invention relates to the manufacture of fibers from mineral or organic materials brought to the viscous state, and especially of glass fibers.

It relates more particularly to apparatus for manufacturing such fibers according to which the molten material is brought on, or in, a body rotating at high speed around its axis. Under the action of the centrifugal force, the material is projected outside said rotating body in the shape of streams or streamlets subsequently submitted to a drawing action transforming them into fibers.

The improvement according to the present invention, which enables in particular to obtain long fibers, consists in driving the streams, as soon as they have been projected from the rotating body, through a hot zone uniformly surrounding said rotating body and from which are excluded all flames or gaseous jets which might disturb the propagation of said streams. According to another feature of the present invention, the hot zone may extend to the rotating body itself and help equalize the temperature of the periphery of said body.

The present invention enables to stabilize the temperature and limits the hot zone surrounding the centrifuging body and, in particular, to avoid reburning the fibers.

According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the rotating body is located inside a delimitated space or annular chamber brought to high temperature by means of radiating plates or of electric resistors supported by the walls of said delimitated space or annular chamber.

The present invention also provides blowing organs located at the outlet of said delimitated space or annular chamber in the shape of a crown surrounding the rotating body so as to remove the long fibers obtained in this way.

Other features and advantages of the object of the present invention will appear from the following specification which is based on a particular embodiment given by way of example.

This specification refers to the annexed drawing which shows a vertical section along its axis of the rotating body located inside the heated delimitated space or annular chamber according to the invention.

In the embodiment shown, the rotating body 1 has its periphery provided with a band 2 in which orifices 3 are located. The material, such as glass, is brought in the molten state in a distributing organ 4 secured to the rotating body and having orifices 5 through which the material is projected on the internal walls of the band 2.

Under the action of the centrifugal force, the material is projected in the form of streams 6 through the orifices 3.

According to the present invention, these streams, as soon as they have been projected from the orifices 3, travel through a delimitated space or annular chamber 7 both walls 8 and 9 of which are heated by means of electric resistors ill and 11, respectively located in the stationary annular refractory organ l2 coaxial with the rotating body, and in plate l3, also stationary and refractory, and secured to a bearing organ 14 through which passes the electric conductor 15 feeding the resistor 11. The resistors 16 and ill permit an uniform heating of the delimitated space or annular chamber 7 in which all streams 6 are subjected to an increase of temperature without undesirable action which might disturb their propagation.

In the embodiment shown, the delimitated space or annular chamber 7 extends inwardly so as to include the rotating body. This extension of the delimitated space or annular chamber is also heated and electric resistors 18 and 19 are provided therefor on the walls 16 and 17 of the annular organ 12 and of the plate 13, respectively. This part of the delimitated space or annular chamber heats the peripheral band 2 of the rotating body and insures equalization of its temperature.

A crown 20 coaxial with the rotating body is provided with an uninterrupted slot or with orifices 21 through which project gaseous jets blowing off and carrying away the fibers 6a after they have gone out of the delimitated space or annular chamber 7.

The apparatus according to the present embodiment of the invention may be completed by a protective cylindrical cover 22 coaxial with the rotating body.

It must be understood that the present invention is in no way limited to the described embodiment. For instance, besides the heated delimitated space or annular chamber according to the invention, all means may be used enabling to heat the peripheral band of the rotating body, such as high frequency heating, radiant heating, etc. without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for the manufacture of fibers from heated viscous material including a rotary centrifuge adapted to receive said material in its interior, said centrifuge having a peripheral wall provided with a plurality of superposed rows of orifices therein for projecting said material therethrough in the form of fibers by centrifugal force, a stationary annular refractory element coaxial with the centrifuge and surrounding the upper part of said centrifuge and extending outwardly beyond said peripheral wall, a stationary refractory circular plate located under said centrifuge and extending outwardly beyond said peripheral wall, said element and said plate being closely spaced from said centrifuge to provide an open sided annular chamber closely spaced from and substantially surrounding the centrifuge and extendingbeyond the peripheral wall thereof, heating means carried by said element and said plate, producing a hot zone within said chamber whereby the walls of the centrifuge and the fibers projected therefrom are uniformly heated to the exclusion of any extraneous hot fluid mediums which might affect the uniform propagation of the fibers by centrifugal force.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1, and a hollow crown coaxial with the centrifuge located above and beyond said centrifuge provided with a slot in its bottom wall for the discharge of an annular gaseous jet directed toward said fibers when the same pass out of the hot zone for entraining said fibers and carrying the same downwardly and away from said centrifuge.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2, and an annular wall spaced outwardly from the centrifuge and crown for guiding said gaseous jet downwardly with the fibers entrained therein.

4. An apparatus for the manufacture of fibers from heated viscous material including a rotary centrifuge adapted to receive said material in its interior, said centrifuge having a peripheral wall provided with a plurality of superposed rows of orifices therein for projecting said material therethrough in the form of fibers by centrifugal force, a stationary annular refractory element coaxial with the centrifuge and surrounding the upper part of said centrifuge and extending outwardly beyond said peripheral wall, a stationary refractory circular plate located under said centrifuge and extending outwardly beyond said peripheral wall, said element and said plate being closely spaced from said centrifuge to provide an opensided annular chamberzclosely spaced from and substantially surrounding, the centrifuge, andextendingheyond the,

extraneous hot; fluid mediumstwhich-might affectzthe uni-h formpropagation of. the fibers .by centrifugalforce;v

5. t apparatus for the: manufacture? of'. fibers: from heated 'viscousnmaterial inclu'dingrrarntam centrifuge adaptedrtotreceive said materialzin its interior; said-cen trifuge having: a. peripheralawall .provided with a plurality ofi superpo'sed rows. of; orifices therein for projecting said material therethrough inthel form of fibersbycentrifugal force,a stationary annular. refractory element coaxial with the "centrifugevandt surrounding the upper part of said centrifuge-and extending. outwardly beyond said peripheraltwallila second stationary refractory circular element located under said centrifuge and extending outwardly beyond 'said peripheral. wall; said elements being closely spaced from said centrifuge to provide an open-sided=annular chamber closely spaced from and substantiallysurrounding the centrifuge and extending beyond the peripheral wall thereof, heating means carried by atleast one of said elements for producing a hot zone within said chamber whereby the fibers projected therefrom are uniformly heated to the exclusion of any extraneous hot fluid mediums whichmightaffect the uniform propagation of thevfibers by centrifugal force.

6.,"I'h'eapparatus. setforth in claim 5 wherein the heating means are disposed to uniformly heatthe walls of the centrifuge,

ReferencesaCiledc t tthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,816,826 Brennan Dec. 17,195?

2,936,480 Kleist May 17, 1960,

2,949,632 Kleist et a1 Aug. 23, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,124,487 France July 2, 1956,

1,155,519 France Deer 2, 19,57 

4. AN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBERS FROM HEATED VISCOUS MATERIAL INCLUDING A ROTARY CENTRIFUGE ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SAID MATERIAL IN ITS INTERIOR, SAID CENTRIFUGE HAVING A PERIPHERAL WALL PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF SUPERPOSED ROWS OF ORFICES THEREIN FOR PROJECTING SAID MATERIAL THERETHROUGH IN THE FORM OF FIBERS BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, A STATIONARY ANNULAR REFRACTORY ELEMENT COAXIAL WITH THE CENTRIFUGE AND SURROUNDING THE UPPER PART OF SAID CENTRIFUGE AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, A STATIONARY REFRACTORY CIRCULAR PLATE LOCATED UNDER SAID CENTRIFUGE AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID PERIPHERAL WALL, SAID ELEMENT AND SAID PLATE BEING CLOSELY SPACED FROM SAID CENTRIFUGE TO PROVIDE AN OPENSIDED ANNULAR CHAMBER CLOSELY SPACED FROM AND SUBSTANTIALLY SURROUNDING THE CENTRIFUGE AND EXTENDING BEYOND THE PERIPHERAL WALL THEREOF, HEATING MEANS FOR PRODUCING A HOT ZONE WITHIN SAID CHAMBER WHEREBY THE FIBERS PROJECTED THEREFROM ARE UNIFORMLY HEATED TO THE EXCLUSION OF ANY EXTRANEOUS HOT FLUID MEDIUMS WHICH MIGHT AFFECT THE UNIFORM PROPAGATION OF THE FIBERS BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE. 